BitFunder Founder Charged by SEC for Stealing $61 Million Worth of BTC 466

Today, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) brought charges against Jon E. Montroll and his exchange BitFunder for operating an unregistered securities exchange and defrauding users. On top of that, the agency also charged the operator — Montroll — with making false and misleading statements in connection with an unregistered offering of securities. BitFunder was a platform that permitted users to buy and sell virtual “shares” of various digital currency-related enterprises in exchange for Bitcoin.

“We allege that BitFunder operated unlawfully as an unregistered securities exchange.  Platforms that engage in the activity of a national securities exchange, regardless of whether that activity involves digital assets, tokens, or coins, must register with the SEC or operate pursuant to an exemption.  We will continue to focus on these types of platforms to protect investors and ensure compliance with the securities laws,” said Marc Berger, Director of the SEC’s New York Regional Office.

The SEC’s complaint, filed in federal district court in Manhattan, charges Montroll and BitFunder with violations of the anti-fraud and registration provisions of the federal securities laws. The complaint seeks permanent injunctions and disgorgement plus interest and penalties. 

The agency alleges Montroll operated BitFunder as an unregistered online securities exchange and defrauded exchange users by misappropriating their Bitcoin, and also for failing to disclose a cyberattack on BitFunder’s system that resulted in the theft of more than 6,000 Bitcoin. Going off the price of Bitcoin today, that’s about $61,800,000.

“As alleged in the complaint, Montroll defrauded exchange users by misappropriating their bitcoins and failing to disclose a cyberattack on the exchange’s system and the resulting bitcoin theft.  We will continue to vigorously police conduct involving distributed ledger technology and ensure that bad actors who commit fraud in this space are held accountable,” said Lara S. Mehraban, Associate Regional Director of the SEC’s New York Regional Office.

Unfortunately for Montroll, his legal troubles don’t stop with the SEC: Also today, in a parallel criminal case, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York filed a complaint against him for perjury and obstruction of justice during the SEC’s investigation. This implies that Montroll, in some way, must have not fully cooperated with the SEC during the agency’s investigation.

This case comes as the SEC is cracking down on other companies and individuals it believes are partaking in shady business within the crypto-space. In January of this year, the agency advised people to “exercise caution” with Bitcoin and other digital currencies.

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Hyland to Provide Strategic Support for Texas Blockchain Summit on Oct. 8 3253

Hyland, a leading content services provider, is a founding strategic partner of the Texas Blockchain Council, a trade association representing the blockchain industry in Texas. This year, the TBC is planning the first Texas Blockchain Summit on Oct. 8 in Austin.

The Summit is a first-of-its-kind event that will focus on digital asset policy, digital identity, Bitcoin mining and cryptocurrency’s implications for national security. Prominent policymakers and subject matter-experts headline the event, a group that includes:

  • Wyoming Senator Cynthia Lummis
  • Ohio Congressman Warren Davidson
  • Texas State Representative Tan Parker
  • Texas State Senator Angela Paxton
  • Texas Banking Commissioner Charles Cooper
  • Chamber of Digital Commerce Founder Perianne Boring
  • Venture Capitalist Nic Carter
  • Professor of Finance Nik Bhatia
  • Human Rights Foundation Chief Strategy Officer Alex Gladstein

The Summit will also feature CEOs of prominent Bitcoin mining companies, an industry with significant momentum in Texas, as well as leaders of startups and established companies working on applications of blockchain technology in digital identity, education and transportation/logistics.

“Hyland is excited to be part of the Texas Blockchain Summit, as the impact of the blockchain industry only continues to grow,” said Hyland Principal Advisor Natalie Smolenski, who earlier this year was appointed Chairman of the Board of the Council and is recognized as a leading blockchain expert, author and speaker. “We are in a unique moment in the history of human societies. For the first time, we have a form of sound money that is not issued by any nation-state, and the experts scheduled to address these trends at the Texas Blockchain Summit will provide unique insight into what that means for the American people and business community, as well as American foreign policy.”

The Council, founded in mid-2020, has quickly become a leader in blockchain innovation and advocacy, playing a role in two bills passed during the 87th State Legislative Session, which ended on May 31. Those bills created a Blockchain Work Group in the state and clarified the treatment of digital currencies under Texas law. Later, the state’s Department of Banking affirmed that banks chartered in Texas may custody virtual currencies.

KuCoin User Quarterly Growth Up 1144% With Accumulated Volume Over $400 Billion 5638

KuCoin, a global leading crypto exchange, are thrilled to announce that the total number of new users in Q2 2021 exceeded two million, with unprecedented quarter-over-quarter growth of 1144%, and a year-on-year increase of 709%. To date, KuCoin has executed 810 million transactions and the accumulated transaction volume attained a value of $400 billion. Over the past year, the average daily trading volume has grown by 791% and now stands at $4.3 billion.

In particular, the number of mobile users of KuCoin is also growing, as the number of installs experienced a growth of 755% compared to last year. In the second quarter of 2021, 1.07 million installs were made — a 178% increase quarter-over-quarter. In total, 54% of traders are currently mobile users of the platform. Mobile trading surpassed the metrics of the web version of the exchange for the first time. Such dynamics may be also driven by the growing demand for payment services among merchants around the world as well as the spreading use of mobile and contactless payments.

The number of women using the platform has tripled over the past six months. Quarterly growth of new female users stands at 120%, with annual growth being 350%, contributing to the rapid growth seen across the crypto market this year. Such a mass influx was made evident not only by the growth of accounts registered by women, but also by the growth of the deposits they made compared to the same period last year. If a year ago the share of female traders was only 12% versus 88% of men, today 38% of its users are women.

“Over the past year, we made immense progress in onboarding new users and creating an easy entry for both men and women. To achieve such growth KuCoin specifically has been providing its users with educational guides, 101 sections, as well as holding AMA sessions with the CEO,” said Johnny Lyu, CEO of KuCoin, “we have also launched a number of new crypto services allowing users with minimal understanding of crypto to get boarded in trading easily. We firmly believe that one day everyone will get involved with crypto, and we will contribute to making it happen.”

Based on an analysis of spot traders, it is found that every fourth (25%) user of KuCoin platform uses trading bots when trading on the exchange, and the trend continues to grow. A quarter ago the number of trading bots users was 23%, while a year ago, only 15% were using trading bots. The growth comes after the launch of KuCoin trading bot in January of 2021. Today, over 2.8 million KuCoin trading bots have been created. This number will likely increase with the growth of the number of users and their trading balances, and the increasing demand for automated trading tools capable of coping in the face of market volatility.

In 2021, KuCoin is continuing to spread into new regions and markets, adopting the technology on a national scale in developing countries of Latin America, Africa, and Asia, with QoQ growth of users — 171.93%, 130.16%, and 67.5% correspondingly. The exchange is seeing the fastest adoption rates in places with high inflation and easy access to mobile phones. The latest data shows that the African crypto market ushered in a major outbreak in the second quarter of 2021. The trading volumes contributed by KuCoin’s African users increased by 20 times in the second quarter of 2021 compared to the same period of the last quarter. Correspondingly, it has also launched highly localized services for African users at a very early stage.

ZHU Announces Plans to Build NFT-based Fan Community 23854

ZHU - Photo Credit: Joey Vitalari
ZHU – Photo Credit: Joey Vitalari

Today, ZHU reveals the details of his plan to build an NFT-based fan community. Beginning with the DREAMROCKS NFT Collection exclusive to Red Rocks concert-goers, an open Zhuman Community token will also be made available for fans worldwide. Fans who attended ZHU’s six-night sold out run at Red Rocks that concluded last night are able to register for community tokens as well as limited-edition moment tokens that include exclusive content from the show they attended. To redeem, showgoers should register using the same email they used to purchase their concert tickets.

Fans of ZHU worldwide will also be able to redeem an open Zhuman Community token. The Zhuman Community token will grant holders access to exclusive content and events to be announced in the coming weeks. ZHU adds, “The fans have shown up so hard these last two weeks at Red Rocks, I’m excited to give something special back to them while also making sure all of my Zhumans worldwide can be a part of the community we’re building.” All DREAMROCKS tokens will be minted and issued on Saturday, May 15th at 12 PM ET. All Zhuman Community tokens will begin minting in the coming weeks. Fans should visit ZHU’s page on the Yellowheart Marketplace for more information and to redeem.

The DREAMROCKS NFT Collection from ZHU is being issued by Night After Night and Yellowheart, the partners behind Kings of Leon’s NFT YOURSELF album release. These releases make ZHU the first artist to build a fan community by issuing free community tokens and the first to issue tokens tied to a live experience.

Casey McGrath, CCO of Night After Night adds, “With this offering, ZHU is setting the tone for how artists should enter the space and use NFTs to create a fan-first model that establishes a long term direct-to-fan pathway.”

“For YellowHeart, democratizing the modern live music experience is our mission. As in-person events start to come back, introducing the many ways NFTs can transform and amplify live music for both artists and fans, in a way that’s better for the environment, is all the more exciting,” said Josh Katz, Founder & CEO of YellowHeart. “It was important to ZHU to have both a carbon-neutral process, as well as offer tokens that are gas-free, so all of his fans could participate in this iconic drop. Since YellowHeart uses Ethereum Layer 2, which uses proof-of-stake, it is the most efficient blockchain solution in terms of gas fees and energy consumption.”

Aves Lair presents Demo Day, showcasing winter 2020 accelerator cohort 23174

Aves Lair, a New York-based startup accelerator and VC with a focus on deep tech, including AI, blockchain, cloud and data, will host a Demo Day event on April 9, 2021 at 11:00 AM ET. The event will highlight the innovative solutions developed by the members of Aves Lair’s Winter 2020 cohort, and will feature the following startups:

Blocksport is a Switzerland-based sports technology company whose white-label digital solutions provide traditional sports and esports teams with new, durable revenue streams and fan engagement channels.

DLCC is a fintech company that offers institutional-grade prime brokerage tools and services for digital assets. The company built a solution that enables traditional asset managers and allocators, like family offices, global macro hedge funds and endowments, to participate in the digital asset space.

SubStrata is an Israel-based B2B sales technology company whose AI-powered social signal processing platform helps professional dealmakers attain better outcomes. SubStrata’s technology analyzes the subtextual information contained in communications to provide dealmakers with a rich array of insight.

iLoto – is a Singapore-based Edtech solution powered by AI that generates automated video transcription and translation in 30+ languages.

Storkcard is a London-based budgeting tool that takes the guesswork out of financial planning for new parents by allowing users to keep track of their spending and budget for the future.

Kotani Pay is a payment solution enabling blockchain protocols, dapps and blockchain fintech companies to reach a wider audience.

OmniEyes is a Taiwan-based computer vision company whose AI-based solution enables effective fleet management, driver safety and smart city management features.

ZIM & Marius Nacht complete additional investment in WAVE BL, a leading provider of a paperless Bill of Lading solution 21976

ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd. (NYSE: ZIM) and Marius Nacht, one of Israel’s leading serial entrepreneurs and investors, announced today that they have jointly invested in a Series B Financing round of WAVE BL, a developer of groundbreaking blockchain network supporting paperless trade in the shipping industry. The two investors co-lead a round of approximately $8 million that will accelerate global implementation of WAVE BL’s proven technology.

ZIM pioneered the first paperless electronic bill of lading pilot in the shipping industry in 2017 using WAVE BL’s platform and has since widely expanded its use to become the industry leader. Electronic bill of lading is currently offered to ZIM customers worldwide, requiring only a simple onboarding process which is supported by ZIM.

Digitization of bills of lading is revolutionizing shipping documentation, sharply reducing time, complexity, errors and costs for all parties involved, while maintaining a high level of security and, importantly, being far more sustainable than the traditional paper bill of lading.

Aligning with international rules, standards and insurance coverage such as IG P&I Clubs and eUCP 600, WAVE BL’s one of a kind decentralized, digital documentation solution is changing the shipping industry as it becomes the new industry benchmark enabling secure and efficient remote business continuity.

Proceeds will be used to support development of WAVE BL’s business and further implementation of its pioneering technology supporting paperless trade in the shipping industry, as well as in other sectors.

ZIM President and CEO Eli Glickman: “Our early adoption of WAVE BL’s blockchain based platform to promote paperless trade highlights our leadership in utilizing digital strategies to best serve customers and has proven extremely successful for ZIM and for changing the industry. Today, ZIM is an industry leader in paperless shipping processes, and we are seeing growing interest from others in our sector to adopt the platform reflecting the significant benefits it provides to both customers and carriers. This new investment in WAVE BL is a step forward in the path to a more digitized and sustainable future, in accordance with our vision and values.”

ZIM CIO Eyal Ben-Amram: “Since completing the integration of WAVE BL’s platform with our system, we can offer every customer the ability to enjoy the vast benefits of paperless shipping, which is especially crucial during COVID-19. We are pleased and proud to continue our support of this exciting and leading company.”

WAVE BL CEO Gadi Ruschin: “Our partnership with ZIM has enabled us to introduce our pioneering technology to a vast audience as we endeavor to become the shipping industry standard in paperless trade. We are extremely pleased with the continued faith and commitment of ZIM and Marius Nacht in our company and look forward to leading the wave of the future in shipping.”

Ophir Shoham, who leads Marius Nacht’s investments in high-tech: “We are proud to continue supporting WAVE BL’s remarkable technology and believe in its disruptive potential, leading to a fundamental change in the way business is conducted across countless sectors and industries. We are very impressed with the great progress the team has made and excited to invest in WAVE BL’s trail-blazing platform.”

Integrated Ventures Partners With Wattum To Purchase 4,800 Antminer S19JPro Miners From Bitmain Technologies Limited 22418

Integrated Ventures Inc, (OTCQB: INTV) (“Company”) is pleased to confirm that the Company has partnered with Wattum Management and entered into a 12 Month Sales and Purchase Agreement (“PO-1”) with Bitmain Technologies Limited (“Bitmain”) to acquire 4,800 Antminer model S19J (100 Th) digital currency miners. Bitmain is scheduled to manufacture and ship miners on monthly basis, in 12 equal batches of 400 units, starting on August 2021 and thru July 2022. Partners agreed to purchase 4,800 units, on 50/50 basis, and to pay Bitmain, approximately $34,047,600 (“Total Purchase Price” or “TPP”) (*).

As a part of signed agreement, Integrated Ventures has received: (1) downside price protection for 12 months and (2) right to replace S19JPro miners with new models, scheduled to be released in early 2022.

The TPP is payable as follows: (i) 25% of the TPP, upon the execution of the Sales Purchase Agreement or no later then April 19, 2021; (ii) 35% of the TPP, is due by May 30, 2021; and (iii) the remaining 40%, is due on monthly basis, starting on June 2021. In addition to Bitmain order, the Company has purchased 150 WhatMiners, (“PO-2”), valued at $1,078,000. These miners will be installed in container facility, connected to a major power plant, located in Kennerdell, PA and managed by Wattum.

Details on both purchase orders are below:

PO-1/Bitmain Order:

  • Antminer S19JPro – 100TH
  • Shipping Schedule: August, 2021 – June, 2022
  • Total Qty: 4,800
  • Total Purchase Price: $34,047,600

PO-2/WhatsMiner Order:

  • WhatsMiner M31S – 82TH
  • Shipping Schedule: May 15, 2021
  • Total Qty: 150 units
  • Total Purchase Price: $1,078,000

Steve Rubakh, CEO of Integrated Ventures, Inc., provides the following commentary: “The Company is very pleased to secure this large scale purchase agreement, especially during a period of scarce supply of mining hardware. Going forward, INTV is committed to deploy any raised capital for purchases of the mining equipment. This purchase effectively doubles INTV’s hash rate and represents a major step in INTV’s strategic growth plan, resulting in significant increase of the Company’s projected revenue growth rate.

Below is detailed shipping schedule for all in-coming mining equipment for the rest of 2021:

  • 300 Avalons/model 1166Pro/assorted 75TH-82TH – April delivery
  • 150 WhatsMiners/model M31S/82TH – May delivery
  • 200 Antminers/model S19JPro/100TH – August delivery
  • 250 Avalons/model 1166Pro/75TH-82TH – August delivery
  • 200 Antminers/model S19JPro/100TH – September delivery
  • 200 Antminers/model S19JPro/100TH – October delivery
  • 200 Antminers/model S19JPro/100TH – November delivery
  • 200 Antminers/model S19JPro/100TH – December delivery.

By the end of December 2021, at minimum, the Company will own and operate over 2,000 miners. Based on BTC pricing of $60,000, the projected and unaudited mining revenues for next 12 months, once all units are connected are expected to be in range of $19,000,000 and $21,000,000 million dollars.”

Arseniy Grusha, CEO of Wattum Management, Inc., adds the following: “We are pleased to partner with INTV and to be an integral part of 12 month Sales & Purchase Agreement with Bitmain Technologies Limited, to jointly acquire 4,800 units of S19JPro – one of the most efficient miners available on the market. Both companies are focused on expanding their mining and hosting operations, by launching multiple data centers and mobile mining farms. We are looking forward to a mutually beneficial and long term cooperation with goal of establishing Integrated Ventures and Wattum as leaders in rapidly growing North American cryptocurrency market.”

About Integrated Ventures Inc: The Company operates as Technology Holdings Company with focus on cryptocurrency sector. For more information, please visit company’s website at www.integratedventuresinc.com.

About Wattum Management, Inc: NY based and privately owned, leading technology corporation, focused on providing cost efficient and reliable hosting services, firmware design, distribution of mining equipment, complete facility management and mining pool operations.

About Bitman Technologies Limited: Founded in 2013, Bitmain transforms computing by building industry-defining technology in cryptocurrency, blockchain, and artificial intelligence (AI). Bitmain leads the industry in the production of integrated circuits for cryptocurrency mining, as well as mining hardware under the Antminer brand. The company also operates the largest cryptocurrency mining pools worldwide- Antpool.com and BTC.com. Bitmain technology supports a wide range of blockchain platforms and startups.